SCOTUSblog

SCOTUSblog recently highlighted the Foundation's Harris v. Quinn case as a petition to watch during the latest Supreme Court conference. Harris challenges a series of executive orders issued by Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and his disgraced predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, aimed at forcing unwilling homecare providers into a union. According to the governors' orders, personal care providers are to be considered "public employees" for the purposes of union organizing, a move that has since forced thousands of unwilling care providers into the SEIU's forced dues-paying ranks.

With the help of Foundation staff attorneys, eight Illinois homecare providers are challenging these executive orders on the grounds that forcing them to affiliate with a union and subsidize union activities violates their rights to free expression and association.

Pam Harris, the lead plaintiff in the case and a personal care provider to her developmentally-disabled son, had this to say about the governors' forced unionism scheme last November:

"My primary concern is that someone else will be telling me how to best care for my son. Union dues would be a deduction from what we have available to provide for my son’s needs. And then I would be giving my money to a union to exercise their political muscle on issues I may vehemently disagree with."